MESSENGER’s Final Word on Mercury

When Mercury glides across the face of the sun Monday, you’re not going to see much more than a speck — if you have the right equipment.

But thanks to NASA’s MESSENGER, we can see the planet’s peaks, valleys and pockmarks in unprecedented detail. On Friday, the Planetary Data System released the first global elevation model of Mercury’s surface, giving scientists an opportunity dive deeper into the planet’s geologic history.